Move to the Beat

In Kindergarten, children begin learning about rhythm and beat.  Rhythm, by definition is "a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound."  Beat is the basic unit of time in music.  In this activity, we focused on the beat - slow, medium and fast - and how that sounded like and looked like.  I started out being the drummer and the kids moved to the music.  Of course, their favourite was the fast, but my daughter did really well listening and changing her bodies speed to match what I was playing on the drum.  Then it was my daughters turn.  She was the drummer and she did a great combination of slow, medium and fast - and I knew exactly how to move.  She's got a great ear for music.  Then my son wanted a turn.  He had one and a quarter speeds.  Fast and slow (for a quarter of a second).  It was really hard to take a picture of him playing the drum slow because he would only do it for two drum beats and then go back to fast.  But we all had a great time moving and listening to the beat.

Here are some more great ideas to get your children moving to the beat:

• Turn on the radio and dance.  Dance like no one is watching.  Have a good mixture of slow and fast music.  Most cable companies have free music channels now.  Take advantage of those, too.
• If you don't have musical instruments in your home, I encourage you to get some.  Check garage sales or Craigslist for some second hand ones.
• Instead of a drum, clap your hands.  No instruments needed - you can play that game in the car.  Get your child to match the beat that you create.